Finding Zen through my camera lens...

Each Photography tells a Story

2011-12-22T09:15:00.000-08:00

Good morning my lovely darlings. I am currently working on revising and updating my Etsy page. Much has been learned this holiday season. All good stuff! All orders placed have been shipped and will arrive in time for the BIG day! fingers crossed! next year I will remember to put a LAST date to order in time for Christmas banner on my shop front page. ;)

Each of my photographs taken and lovingly placed in my Etsy shop have a story. My goal is to write that story and share it with you here on my blog. Please be patient. This is a brand new BIG idea. Please check back often because I have much to share, and many stories to tell.

Wishing you a VERY Merry Christmas!

LOVE to all!

Arlene xoxo

Vintage Berries

masters of photography

2011-10-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

A day in the life of Sam

2011-09-18T21:46:00.001-07:00

a day in the life of Sam, a photo by Bakdok11 on Flickr.

I am in love with this collage my daughter Kathleen made on her iphone of our Golden Retriever Sam. These photos really express his personality. So contemplative, serious, relaxed, loving and kind. He is a Mommy's boy, always waiting for Me to get home from wherever I may be, or from whatever I may be doing. My wee Sammy...

Loving Today...

2011-08-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

Feeling kinda lazy...

Loving today...

Feet up, relaxing about

Naps welcome.

Ice cream truck in the distance

Warm breezes through the living room window.

Teenage laughter, Puppy dog snores.

Giggles, Smiles, Fur a flyin...

Clean the house?

Loving this moment

All else can wait.

Joyfilled

2011-08-17T11:29:00.000-07:00

While we try to teach our children all about life,
our children teach us what life is all about.
Angela Schwindt

For some reason I thought about this picture today...
Taken many years ago at our annual Armed Forces Day parade here in Torrance.
Look how absolutely in the moment this darling little soul is?
Completely mesmerized by the music, marching bands and celebration all around him.
Marching to the beat with his little feet, waving his hands in celebration.
I smile just thinking about him.
Simply Joyfilled! and rightly so....

Just Beachy

2011-08-16T21:02:00.000-07:00

Just a few shots of my Monday morning beach walk...

Energy...

Peace...

Fun...

Memories...

Surprising beauty...

Simple Innocence...

Strength...

Balance...

Relaxation...

Excitement...

Creativity...

Wonder...

Friendship...

Following the right path....

HYPNOtized

2011-08-15T07:32:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure about you people.

I'm feeling a bit stunned this fine morning.

Coffee... the elixir of the Goddess's, and walking, waking zombies alike.

Paddle Out

2011-08-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

As I try to find the perfect words to describe these pictures
I realize many times words are not needed.
The pictures speak for themselves and their interpretation is a very personal, and wonderful thing.

A beautiful soul is now at peace.

I can't think of a more moving ceremony
to honor the passing of someone than a paddle out.
One of the many amazing aspects of the surfing culture.

A Woman Of Strength

A woman of strength,
Has courage to face the day,
And the confidence,
To handle whatever comes her way.
A woman of strength,
Has so much love to give,
And more compassion,
It gives her a reason to live.
A woman of strength,
Can face trouble with more hope,
Face adversity,
Always finding the strength to cope.
A woman of strength,
Can take the bad with the good,
And learn from it all,
With a sense of pride that’s understood.
A woman of strength,
Can conduct herself with grace,
Hold her head up high,
And dignity always has its place.
A woman of strength,
Can face almost anything,
And can look forward,
To what the future will possibly bring…

{©2008 Jan Brooks}

janspoetryplace

"People are like stained-glass windows.
They sparkle and shine when the sun it out, but when the darkness sets in,
their true beauty is revealed
only if there is a light from within."
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Surrendering to Zen

2011-08-02T09:03:00.000-07:00

Man stands in his own shadow and wonders why it's dark. ~Zen Proverb

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will find them gradually, without noticing it, and live along some distant day into the answer. ~Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

Blue Willow Day

2011-07-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

The color Blue...
Tranquil, Serene, Peaceful, Ocean, Sky...
Rustic, and Charming.

The Story of Blue Willow

click on link to read story

Blue...
Complete Joy, Happiness, Giggles, and Smiles...
Eyes WIDE open to everything.
Playful, and Playfilled...

Traditional, Elegant, yet Casual...
Delightful, Creative, even fancy

Old, Timeless...
With many legends to share.
Romance, and Love...

My 1946 Wedgewood stove and some of my Blue Willow Collection. I started this collection about 23 years ago with the help of my Mother in law Ann, and many generous wedding guests. I still to this day have a few of those wedding place settings left. Many plates chipped and worn having been used almost every day since.

Lilz on watch

2011-07-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

Act as if what you do makes a difference.
It does.

~ William James

Little Painting Buddy

2011-07-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

I ADORE you, you crazy, gorgeous, wonderful
(but also sometimes quite WEIRD-but still very lovely)
DOG.

Simplicity

2011-07-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach;
one can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few.
- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Look What I Found Hidden amongst the weeds

2011-07-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

Always search for beauty hidden amongst the weeds.
Now rid the weeds and continue on with the beauty...

Gardens... should be like lovely, well-shaped girls:
all curves, secret corners, unexpected deviations, seductive surprises
and then still more curves.
~H.E. Bates, A Love of Flowers

Coffee. Garden. Coffee.
Does a good morning need anything else?
~Betsy Cañas Garmon

Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil,
getting dirty without feeling guilty,
and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity.
~Lindley Karstens

Don't wear perfume in the garden

unless you want to be pollinated by bees.

~Anne Raver

There is Something Simply Delightful

2011-07-11T21:25:00.000-07:00

Colorful, Abundant, Intriguing,

Prolific, shapely, waxy, hairy, spiny

and utterly captivating

about a plant which retains its own water!

Sometimes the pictures just speak for themselves...

2011-07-07T11:38:00.000-07:00

Midnight in the Garden

2011-07-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

In Celebration of Jeffrey's Life

2011-07-06T20:28:00.000-07:00

Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death
they would be asked two questions
and their answers would determine
whether they could continue their journey in the afterlife.
The first question was, "Did you bring joy?"
The second was, "Did you find joy?"-Leo Buscaglia

Silly kids!

First Love lasts forever...

my daughter Kathleen and boyfriend Jeffrey on his 17th birthday at Hooters. :)

Hooters? yeah HAW! ;)

God's Copilot
Jeffrey touched every person he came into contact with. His JOY, enthusiasm, kindness, sincerity, appreciation, and LOVE came from the deepest place within him. His job here on earth, as short as it was, as a teacher to all has ended. And now he has a much bigger job to do! This entire planet needs him. He is going to be a VERY busy young man!

Our camp security! geez!

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. ~Kahlil Gibran

Is that it???

Expecting the worst, you look and instead,
heres the joyful face youve been wanting to see.~Rumi

Imagine a Woman

2010-05-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

Imagine a Woman

Imagine a woman who believes it is right and good she is a woman. A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories. Who refuses to carry the "sins" of others within her body and life.

Imagine a woman who believes she is good. A woman who trusts and respects herself. Who listens to her needs and desires and meets them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman who has acknowledged the past's influence on the present. A woman who has walked through her past. Who has healed into the present

Imagine a woman who authors her own life. A woman who exerts, initiates, and moves on her own behalf. Who refuses to surrender except to her truest self and to her wisest voice.

Imagine a woman who names her own gods. A woman who imagines the divine in her image and likeness. Who designs her own spirituality and allows it to inform her daily life.

Imagine a woman in love with her own body. A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is. Who celebrates her body and its rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.

Imagine a woman who honors the face of the Goddess in her changing face. A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom. Who refuses to use her precious life energy disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman who values the women in her life. A woman who sits in circles of women. Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.

And dear friends~ Imagine yourself as this woman~ A woman who always stands strong in her Powers~ A woman who has courage to speak her truth~ A woman who has strength to face her fears~ A woman who knows her values of life~ A woman who walks her earth walk~ in the explandance of her true God Reality~ Imagine this woman as You~

"Our planet is in desperate need of women who love themselves. Women who use their time, energy, and resources to design life-affirming solutions for the challenges confronting humankind. Women who give birth to images of inclusion, poems of truth, rituals of healing, experiences of transformation, relationships of equality, strategies of peace, institutions of justice, and households of compassion."

~Patricia Lynn Reilly

Christmas Gift Suggestions

2009-12-02T23:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas gift suggestions

"To your enemy, forgiveness.

To an opponent, tolerance.

To a friend, your heart.

To a customer, service.

To all, charity.

To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect."

Oren Arnold